


Catharsis

by crescendmoon



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Bullying, Character Death, Coping with the death of a loved one, Depression, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, High School AU, M/M, Poor Life Choices, Probably some belligerent and unresolved sexual tension, friends helping each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-08 02:29:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8826859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crescendmoon/pseuds/crescendmoon
Summary: Following the death of his mother, Roxas constantly tells himself and others that he's doing fine. However, when he decides to move to a different city on the spur of the moment, it slowly becomes apparent that he is anything but okay.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> That moment when I have another unfinished KH fic but I'm unsatisfied with how I started that fic off so I'm writing this one. Comments are always appreciated!  
> Also, I'm ignoring responsibilities and writing instead of studying for finals. But I just got done writing a ten page paper so I deserve this ;-;

            The funeral was well planned out and beautiful; different kinds of flowers were put all around the church, which made it look more like a botanical garden than a time of mourning. Three young men stood in front of the casket that held their mother’s body, each one showing a different shade of emotion: the oldest one, Cloud, was stoic and had his arms crossed in front of him. The middle child, Ventus, was sobbing uncontrollably with one of his hands covering his face in an attempt to muffle his voice. And the youngest, Roxas, was just staring at the casket in indifference, his expression looking apathetic; but behind that apathy, there was an inner war of both depression and anger that was battling for dominance. He was depressed because he had just lost his mother, Aerith, before he even graduated high school. He was also angry at the drunk driver that ran the red light and stole his mother from this world. Not even the police arresting the driver and guaranteeing a manslaughter charge could soothe the pain he was feeling in his heart.

            Their father, Zack, tried his best to smile and look grateful about the years he and Aerith had been together. How they had met in college at a chance encounter when Zack was on military leave and tripped over a curb because he was hurrying to a class he was fifteen minutes late to, and Aerith happened to be working at their health center because she was done with classes for the day. How they immediately hit it off as friends…how they got together when Zack was in his last semester and Aerith was just starting her 3rd year. And how Zack proposed to her while he was overseas in Midgar and she was in her final year of college. And most amazingly, the birth of their three sons. Zack was confident that Cloud, Ventus, and Roxas were the best things that ever happened in both his and Aerith’s lives.

            Cloud was the oldest at twenty. He was always the protective type who lacked social skills and rarely spoke unless spoken to. But if anyone was lucky enough to befriend Cloud and break through his walls, he was the best friend anyone could ever hope for. He was away at university in Hollow Bastion when he got the news that his mother was in an accident. Ventus and Roxas were twins, with Ventus being older by ten minutes. They were both fifteen and sophomores in high school. Ventus was naïve and optimistic, and always tried to look on the bright side of things. He was also the crybaby of the three and was easily swayed by emotions. But he probably had the largest heart of the siblings. And lastly was Roxas, the baby of the family who was a force to be reckoned with. He can be kind and thoughtful when he wanted to be, especially with his friends, but to anyone else-especially those he hated-he only ever showed snark and irritation. Out of the siblings, he was definitely the one with the shortest temper, and he always showed anger when he was sad or melancholic instead of tears.

            Once the funeral had concluded and the guests were slowly leaving, a few stopping to say their farewells and _I’m sorry for your loss_ speeches to Zack and his sons, Zack bid one final farewell to his wife, kissing the top of her casket before it was lowered into the ground. Cloud had his arm around Ventus, who was still crying; his face was red and he began to hiccup.

“Mommy…” Ventus clung to Cloud, who could barely contain his sadness himself; he bit his lip, trying to conceal how he truly felt as he did his best to comfort his younger brother.

Roxas, in the meantime, was helping Zack clean up the flowers; he was checking to see if any of the flowers were salvageable so he could bring them home to make a bouquet out of. He felt that his mother would have enjoyed seeing her favorite flowers in the house. “Dad, is there a reason assholes get to live their lives in ignorant bliss, while innocent people suffer…”

Zack sighed and picked up a flower arrangement that had toppled over. “I know you’re trying to figure out a way to cope, but there’s nothing wrong with crying, Rox.”

Roxas wasn’t satisfied with that response. He was hoping his father would say something that allowed him to latch onto and start a conversation, but instead he was put into silence. This trend with Roxas actually gave both Zack and Aerith some concern since he started middle school. How he would try his damn hardest to conceal how he truly felt; Zack couldn’t even remember when the last time Roxas cried was. And Zack’s concern grew exponentially since Aerith died when Roxas didn’t even cry at the hospital. He showed anger, he punched a few walls, but not a single tear was shed from his knowledge.

Once everything was cleaned up, the family climbed into Zack’s SUV and sat in silence the entire ride home. Roxas did his best to distract himself with his phone, texting his best friend Hayner. Not only had he known Hayner since kindergarten when they fought over the one yellow crayon in the art box, but if anyone knew what Roxas could be going through, it was Hayner. Hayner had lost his father to cancer when he was in fifth grade, and even though it was so long ago, it was never easy getting over the death of a loved one.

[Hayner]: At least it was a beautiful funeral. If it makes you feel better, my uncle was crying so loudly at my dad’s funeral that we actually got a noise complaint from the people living next to the funeral home.

[Roxas]: Gee thanks, jackass. Now I feel sorry for both Ven and your uncle.

[Hayner]: Just trying to joke around. Learned in that psych class I took freshman year that humor can make people feel better.

[Roxas]: Well you’re not wrong lol. Your humor could use a little work tho.

[Hayner]: RUDE. I’m the funniest guy on this planet >:(

[Roxas]: Funny looking, maybe.

[Hayner]: ………….Friendship over.

[Roxas]: You know you love me.

“Roxas, we’re home.”

He looked up from his phone to the sound of Cloud’s voice and noticed that they had already parked in their driveway. Ventus and Zack were already inside the house, while Cloud was taking his sweet time…or maybe he was just playing the concerned older brother that he secretly was all his life, regardless of how hard he tried to hide it.

Roxas’s suspicions were proven correct when he was unbuckling his seat belt and noticed that Cloud was staring at him through the rear view mirror. “I’m fine, Cloud.”

“I’m not doubting you.” But Cloud made no effort to budge from his spot in the front passenger seat.

“If you’re going to lecture me or waiting for me break down when no one’s looking, you’ll be waiting for a long time.” Roxas’s gaze drifted down to his hands. “I think the wall at the hospital took away all the anger I was feeling.”

Cloud chuckled slightly. “I’m sure the hospital will be sending us a bill for the damages.”

The corners of Roxas’s mouth twitched upward a tiny bit, before he hopped out of the car. Cloud followed suit and ruffled his younger brother’s hair, something he knew Roxas hated but did anyways because it also never failed to lighten up a situation.

When they walked into the house, it was eerily silent. Roxas glanced upstairs and noticed Ventus’s door was closed; chances were his twin wouldn’t emerge for the rest of the day, and Roxas would be the one to give Ventus dinner. Zack was keeping himself busy in the kitchen, doing his best to cook one of Aerith’s favorite meals.

Roxas’s phone vibrated. He assumed it was Hayner again, but to his surprise it was Sora. Sora was Roxas’s friend whom he met online. They had hit it off almost immediately despite Sora being the type of person Roxas usually hated. Roxas was pleasantly surprised to find out that Sora had a suppressed level of sass underneath the bubbly attitude he usually showed. They had exchanged phone numbers, and Roxas even found out that Sora had lived somewhat close to him. And by _somewhat_ , he meant in the next city over in Radiant Garden. But thankfully, Twilight Town and Radiant Garden were only about forty-five minutes apart from each other so they tried to set up at least a week to hang out together.

[Sora]: You doing alright?

[Roxas]: I’ve been better but I’ll be fine.

[Sora]: That’s good. I understand if you don’t want to hang out over the weekend.

He was eternally grateful that Sora read the atmosphere well enough to not act cheerful.

[Roxas]: Nah it’s okay. Might actually do me some good to get away from this place.

[Sora]: Cool. I’ll be planning out the best visit of your life!

[Roxas]: Don’t hurt yourself. Tempted to just transfer schools to wherever you go. Feels weird being here now.

[Sora]: That was a complete 180. It’s still early in the school year, but that’s drastic even for you.

[Roxas]: I just…need some time away from all of this. I can’t stand being reminded of death.

[Sora]: Who does? My dad used to be an FBI agent. My mom would stay up all night waiting for him to come home every time he was even one minute late.

[Roxas]: Maybe I could convince my dad to spend a year out at your school. Think of it as therapy.

[Sora]: Whatever floats your boat, you know I’m more than happy about you attending my school for a year. Only problem is…where will you be staying? And before you ask, I don’t think you’d want to stay with me. My brother is…not the best to be around.

[Roxas]: Well there goes that plan. Do you know anyone who’d be willing to let me stay with them? I can find a job to pay them back.

[Sora]: ………….OH! I know someone who might be willing. We don’t hang out often but he’s been in a lot of my classes over the years so we’re tight.

[Roxas]: Not sure how I feel about rooming with a complete stranger…but not like I have any better ideas. What’s his name? And he’s not secretly a murderer is he?

[Sora] LOL no, trust me he’s super chill. I’m actually texting him right now and he said he and his family would love to room you, free of charge. His name’s Demyx, he’s a year above us.

[Roxas]: Why was he in your classes if he’s older?

[Sora]: Don’t get me wrong, he’s a lot smarter than he looks and acts. He’s actually pretty brilliant. But he’s probably the laziest person you will ever meet. He failed a history exam last year because he was bored of looking at the questions and fell asleep.

[Roxas]: Amazing.

[Sora]: Hey, at least he’s a good person. And he loves video games just as much as you do, that’s something.

[Roxas]: Okay well, I’ll take your word for it. I’ll ask my dad if it’s alright and I’ll text you back.

[Sora]: Coolio. Tell your dad I said hi!

Roxas closed his phone and walked back into the kitchen, where his dad was still cooking. There were at least ten different things on the dinner table at this point.

“Uh…hey Dad…”

Zack looked up from the oven and smiled. “How you holding up, Rox?”

Roxas scratched the back of his head. “Nothing much….umm…”

Zack got suspicious at this point. “What did you do?”

“N-Nothing! Just…” It was now or never. “Do you remember Sora…? He lives in Radiant Garden, we met online and he came to visit a month ago…?”

Zack grinned. “Oh, course I do. I liked him, reminded me of how I was when I was younger. Does he want to visit again?”

Roxas shook his head. “Actuallly…I was wondering if…if I could visit him.”

“Sure, when did you want to head over?”

Roxas fidgeted. “Here’s the thing…I was wondering if I could go and uh…live in Radiant Garden for a year to attend Sora’s high school…”

Zack’s expression faltered and he just stared at Roxas with a dumbfounded expression. “What made you come up with that idea?”

“I just…I need to get away from this place. It feels weird being here without Mom…”

“Roxas…you know you can always talk to me. You don’t need to move away to feel better. You have your family.” Zack tried to comfort his son as best he could.

“You don’t get it, Dad. I NEED this. It’ll just be for a year, and Sora will be there so that’s already one person I know.” Roxas pleaded.

Zack sighed. “Have you even thought this through? Where will you stay? And what about Ventus? He needs you right now.”

The air in the kitchen got a lot thicker. “I-I’ll be staying with a friend of Sora’s. Sora already asked if it was alright and he was more than willing.”

“A stranger?! Roxas, I don’t approve of this one bit. I’m sorry but the answer is no.”

“But Dad! Why won’t you listen to me for once?!” Roxas’s heart was aching.

“This conversation is over, Roxas.” Zack’s tone was stiff, and even Roxas knew that he would only dig himself into a deeper hole if he continued. With a huff, he left the kitchen and stomped up the stairs to his room. He fell onto his bed and immediately took out his phone.

[Roxas]: You remember where I live right? Pick me up around 2am. Everyone should be asleep by then.

[Sora]: ……………I’m not going to jail for kidnapping charges, I hope you realize.

[Roxas]: Not my fault my dad isn’t listening to me.

[Sora]: Maybe he just wants the family to stick together.

[Roxas]: I get that, I do. But I don’t think anyone knows just how much it HURTS me to be here right now. It’s not like I’ll be moving away for good, just for a year or so.

[Sora]: Well……..guess I could come get you. I’ll park a little down the road from the house so my headlights don’t alert your family.

[Roxas]: Thanks Sora. See you then.

            1:58am. Roxas made sure he had packed everything he needed: Enough clothes that could last him a week before he would have to wash laundry, toiletries, his laptop, phone, 3DS and Vita…yeah, that should be everything. And if push comes to shove, he could get a part-time job and buy some extra things. He looked out the window and noticed Sora’s car a few houses down. Sora popped his head out of his sun room to grab his attention, to which Roxas texted him to let him know he was coming down.

            He did his best to quietly carry his duffle bag down the stairs. He had his backpack on as well, his skateboard protruding out the top. He almost made it out the door when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

“What the heck are you doing?”

Roxas turned around to see Ventus staring at him.

“…….I’m gonna stay with Sora for a while. I need to get away.”

Ventus scowled. “Do you never think about anyone but yourself? How do you think I feel? Or Cloud? Or Dad???”

“I’m sorry, I get it. And I’m sorry for leaving you guys to cope with this. But-“

Ventus wouldn’t let him finish. “You’re so selfish…fine. Go ahead and live your life without your family. I honestly don’t give a fuck about you anymore.”

Roxas’s eyes widened. Ventus NEVER cursed, so that was the first sign that he was _pissed_. “Ven, I—“

“Just go.” Ventus turned away and made his way up the stairs. “Just don’t expect me to cover for you.”

Roxas said nothing, and instead left the house without turning back. He crawled into Sora’s car and sighed.

“Hey buddy, you look beat.” Sora piped up with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gear shift.

Roxas smirked. “You sure know how to make people feel better, don’t you.”

“I try my best.” Sora laughed and started up the car, with the intention of going back to Radiant Garden. “I hope you know that you owe me BIG TIME. Not even Riku or Kairi can get me to wake up this early without feeling my wrath. You’re super lucky that tomorrow’s Sunday, because if it was a school day you’d be out of luck.”

“Lucky me.” Roxas chuckled and relaxed his posture. “………Am I selfish for doing what I’m doing?”

Sora remained silent for a moment. “…People react differently when it comes to grief, Rox. Under any other circumstance I would have said yes, but you need to do what you think is best for you.”

Roxas felt grateful that he met Sora. At the same time, he realized he would have to explain himself to Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He was sure they would understand his logic, but it was also finally starting to set in that he would no longer be seeing them every day.

“If you’re feeling regret, it’s not too late to turn back.”

Roxas shook his head. “No, I need to do this. So where’s this Demyx person live?”

Sora smiled. “Luckily for you, he lives just a block from Radiant Garden High School. That’s where you’d be going, assuming things go well. He’s an only child so there’s no need to worry about extra kids around, and his parents are seriously the most chill people I’ve ever met. Wish I could move in too, actually…wonder if Demyx would let me?”

“I’m sure if you asked, he’d probably regret all of his life decisions.” Roxas joked, to which Sora agreed.

It took them only about a half hour to reach Radiant Garden, thanks mostly to the fact that there was no traffic to sit in. Roxas had been there a few times, but he was always in awe of how beautiful it was. Tall trees and aromatic flowers everywhere, huge fountains and gardens, and a castle that sat at the top of a hill right in the center of the city, which apparently was a historical site; that castle had been there since the city’s founding more than a few centuries ago.

“Aaaaaand we’re here.” Sora parked his car in front of a pretty well-to-do house with a luscious green lawn in front. The rose bushes that outlined the driveway made it look like one of those stereotypical upper middle-class homes that appeared in romantic comedies. “Don’t worry, I texted Demyx about this whole situation. He’s kind of a night owl anyways, so he should still be awake.”

Roxas nodded and got his stuff out of the car and followed Sora up the pathway to the front door. However, neither of them had the chance to knock because the door swung open to reveal a tall, slender young man with a hair style that looked like he belonged in the 80’s. And wow his eyes were blue. They glowed so much in the night that it almost hurt Roxas’s eyes.

“Sora, you’re glad I usually don’t sleep until 4am otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to wake me up if you texted me ten million times with my text tone at max volume.” The teenager stated, his hand still on the door that he was partially leaning against.

Sora smiled. “Tell that to this moron.” He pointed to Roxas, who scowled at him. “Thanks for doing this, by the way.”

Demyx waved his hand. “Don’t worry about it.” He turned to look at Roxas. “Hope you don’t mind that Sora had to tell me about your situation. My mom basically started crying on the spot and didn’t hesitate to open up the house to you.” He smiled and held out his hand. “I’m Demyx, glad to have you as part of the family, if only for a short while.”

Roxas stared at his hand for a moment before smiling back and took Demyx’s hand in his own. “Roxas. I’m happy to be a part of it, too.”

At that moment, Roxas felt like this could be the beginning of a new life. A life away from the pain he’d been feeling the past few weeks. A life without anyone judging him for not showing the right emotions. For the first time since his mother died, he felt happiness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than the first one, so I feel accomplished. I hope you like it!

Roxas was awoken by the sunlight that was glaring into his eyes from the window. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to get them to focus, and once they did he glanced around the room. It took him a moment to realize where he was exactly. He was staying at a friend of Sora’s place…this was their guest room, apparently. He looked at a clock that was sitting on the night stand and noticed it was almost 10am. His dad and Cloud are probably freaking out now…although he wondered if Ventus really did tell them where he was going or not.

He sluggishly got up from the bed and made his way downstairs, where a fruity aroma wafted out of the kitchen. There, he was greeted by a young woman who was flipping pancakes, and a young man reading the sports section of a newspaper. They must be Demyx’s parents; he came over so late last night that only Demyx was awake at that time.

The woman noticed him standing in the doorway and immediately went over to him, still holding a spatula. “You must be Roxas! I’m Demyx’s mother, Yuna, and that’s his father, Tidus.” She gestured towards the man, who looked up from his newspaper and grinned in Roxas’s direction. “I heard what had happened, and I’m so sorry for your loss. But when Demyx told me about you, I couldn’t help but agree to give you a place to stay.”

Roxas scratched the back of his neck. “Honestly, I didn’t think anyone would be this cool with letting a stranger stay at their house.”

“Nonsense, if you know Sora, then you’re no stranger.” Tidus piped up as he took a sip of some coffee. “Stay as long as you like—oh, that reminds me.” His expression grew concerned. “I get that you wanted to get away from it all…trust me, I do. But I hope you realize that if you want to transfer to Radiant Garden High, regardless of how long, you would need a legal parent or guardian signature.”

…Shit. Roxas hadn’t thought about that. He already decided to leave home without his dad’s permission, so there was no way he could get him to sign a paper for transfer. “You’re technically my legal guardian right now, right?”

Tidus chuckled. “Not according to the government. You don’t think your dad would go along with this?”

Roxas fidgeted in his place far longer than he should have, because Yuna began to realize what was going on. “Roxas…you didn’t run away from home, did you?”

“N-No…I mean, not exactly…”

“Oh, sweetie…” Yuna placed her hand on Roxas’s shoulder. “You need to tell your dad where you are. Maybe if you invite him over, he’ll see that he can trust us and will let you stay. But I don’t feel comfortable with him worrying about you for this long.”

As much as he hated the idea of facing the music, Roxas couldn’t exactly deny that he didn’t like the idea of his dad going crazy trying to find him. Knowing his dad, he was probably in his SUV right now looking everywhere around Twilight Town. “I’ll call him now…”

Yuna smiled. “Thank you, Roxas. Don’t worry, I see if I can talk him into letting you stay.”

“Thanks…” Roxas did his best to smile. “So…where’s Demyx?”

Tidus rolled his eyes. “You’ll be lucky to see him awake before 3pm on a weekend. I should get him to join me on my early morning jogs.”

Yuna laughed. “Well, hopefully with Roxas around, Demyx will have more incentive to get up. Kind of like a younger sibling.”

He really enjoyed this environment, Roxas admitted. Having a mother who cared about her child while at the same time not criticizing him over everything he did…not that his own mother was like that, but…now he would never know that feeling. He snuck away from Demyx’s parents and walked back upstairs to the guest room, where he grabbed his phone. Upon looking at the screen, he wasn’t surprised to see 24 missed calls, most of them being from Dad and few from Cloud…and 50+ text messages from Hayner, Pence, and Olette. He really fucked things up, didn’t he.

Sighing, he hesitantly dialed his dad’s cell number. It didn’t even ring once before Zack’s terrified voice came up from the other line. “Roxas! Oh my god, thank god you’re alright! W-Where are you?!”

“Don’t worry about me, Dad…I…I’m in Radiant Garden.”

“You’re WHAT? Didn’t I say you weren’t allowed to stay there?” Zack sounded exasperated. “I’m driving over there right now to pick you up.”

Roxas bit his lip. “Please let me stay…they’re really nice people. They invited me into their home, and their son is really nice.”

It was silent on the other line. “…I’m not going to allow you to stay at some stranger’s house. I’m sorry, Roxas.”

“I-If you met them, then they wouldn’t be strangers anymore, right?! Just come over and talk to them, and then decide. Please…” Roxas’s voice cracked, and he could have sworn that he heard his dad gasp on the other end.

Zack sighed. “…Fine. Send me their address and I’ll be over asap.”

Roxas was relieved. “Thank you.”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

His dad should be coming any moment now. Roxas hurried to make himself at least somewhat decent looking from when he woke up; and he was thankful that Demyx managed to get out of bed, although he was still in his pajamas and his hair was all over the place. But at least he wasn’t a zombie like Roxas expected him to be.

The knock on the door is what caused Roxas’s heart rate to skyrocket. His eyes were rapidly glancing from the door, to Demyx, to Demyx’s parents who were still cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast. Thank god that Demyx’s mother took the initiative and went to open the door.

“Oh, hello! You must be Roxas’s dad…?” Yuna asked with a kind smile.

Zack had a concerned expression on his face, wondering what sort of people they were right from the get-go. “Yeah, name’s Zack Fair…just Zack is fine.”

Yuna stood aside to let Zack into her home. “Nice to meet you, Zack. I’m Yuna Adler. I’m not sure if Roxas has told you already, but I’m Demyx’s mother.”

A wave of relief swept through Zack’s body. Yuna seemed like a nice woman, so things were off to a pretty good start. He followed Yuna into the dining room where he saw Roxas fidgeting at the dining table. “Roxas, I’m so glad you’re alright!”

He immediately ran up to Roxas and pulled him into a hug. “I’m not angry…I’m just happy that nothing’s happened to you…”

Roxas’s eyes widened as he returned the embrace. Of course…how could he not realize that his father wouldn’t be afraid, especially after what had happened with his mom. “I’m sorry, Dad…even I admit it was an impulse decision—“

Zack smiled and ruffled Roxas’s hair. “Everything’s okay. I get it…I should have been more understanding.” He turned to Yuna. “Thank you for taking care of my son.”

“No need to thank me.” Yuna offered Zack a seat at the table, which he graciously accepted. “This is my husband, Tidus.” Tidus in turn shook Zack’s hand.

Yuna glanced around the room, then turned to Roxas. “Where’d that son of mine go?”

Roxas chuckled. “Try checking the kitchen.”

As if on cue, Demyx came waltzing into the dining room with a plate stacked high with blueberry pancakes that was swimming in syrup. The fork that was hanging out of his mouth made the scene even more amusing.

“Demyx, where are your manners?” Yuna sighed. “We have a guest.”

Demyx’s eyes widened. “Whoa, are you Roxas’s dad? Nice to meet you!” He looked to the side. “I’d offer a handshake but my hands are kinda full…and sticky.”

Roxas had to bite his lip to prevent him from letting out a chuckle.

Zack grinned. “No need, I see you’re pretty occupied.” He winked, which made Demyx grin. Zack then continued a conversation with Yuna and Tidus, while Roxas and Demyx went into the living room. Demyx turned on the TV and began stuffing his face.

“Dude, your dad is awesome! I like a guy with a good sense of humor.” Demyx stated as he shoved almost an entire pancake in his mouth.

“Yeah, he’s always been like that. All of my friends love him too.”

“Man, my friends tell me that MY parents are chill, but your dad is like…Christmas Town or some shit.” Demyx pretended to shiver for emphasis. “And that place is only open during the winter months when it snows!”

Roxas couldn’t help but laugh at that. He never heard his dad being compared to a holiday theme park before. “Has anyone told you that you should be an actor?”

Demyx relaxed his body against the sofa. “Yeah, actually. I’m even in Drama this year…which I loathe with a passion.” He looked at Roxas with such a serious expression that it was almost comical. “NEVER take advice from someone who you know is a prankster who loves to see you suffer. ESPECIALLY if they’re also your friend.”

“Wow, that bad, huh? Will I get to meet this friend of yours, or should I avoid him for the sake of my health?” Roxas joked.

“You probably will meet him if you hang out with me at school and whatnot. Just please take my advice, unless you want your year at a new school to be hell.”

Okay, now he was sure Demyx was exaggerating. Probably.

Zack, Yuna, and Tidus had walked into the living room not long afterward, which caused Roxas and Demyx to turn their heads to look at them.

“Rox…I approve of you staying here.” Zack said after a moment’s pause. This caused Roxas to smile widely. “Hold on, I’m not finished. I approve, IF you promise me to obey all of their rules. You need to pass all of your classes, and above all…” Zack smiled. “…Be safe and enjoy yourself.”

Roxas hopped up from the sofa and almost tackled Zack with a hug. “Thank you, Dad…I promise I’ll be good. And it’ll only be a year…just for me to get back on my feet.”

Zack nodded. “I have no doubt you’ll be a good kid. Just…make sure to keep in contact with both Ventus and I. Ven is still angry at you, by the way.”

He didn’t have any counterargument for that…he DID sort of run off in the middle of the night to leave Ventus to deal with their mom’s death by himself. Especially since this was the first time Roxas wasn’t there to help Ventus when he was feeling sad.

Zack let go of Roxas and made his way towards the front door. “Thank you for letting my son stay with you…I really appreciate it.”

Yuna and Tidus followed him to the door. “We’re happy to have him.” Tidus assured Zack. “Have a safe drive back home.”

Yuna smiled from beside her husband, and waved at Zack as he was leaving. But just as Zack was about to get into his car, Roxas came rushing out the front door and waved.

“Bye Dad! I love you!”

Zack faltered for a split second, before smiling at Roxas and waved as he pulled out of the driveway.

So this was it…this was going to be his new home for the next year. Roxas could barely contain his excitement, but at the same time he also felt nervous beyond belief. Just what sort of life will he lead here…?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Roxas, wake up!”

Roxas groaned and slowly opened his eyes, wondering what time it was. He didn’t even get a chance to think before Demyx opened the door to his room and walked in.

“Dude, you’re gonna be late on your first day of school.” Demyx smiled. “Apparently your dad was going over schooling arrangements with my parents yesterday in the dining room so you could start as soon as possible. Lucky you, huh?”

Roxas could almost swear that Demyx was getting a kick out of his misery. Still, he didn’t argue and got up to get washed up and dressed. He normally took a while to pick out the right outfit to wear, but for today (and today only) he just threw on a band shirt that would be covered by his checkered jacket, and some faded blue jeans that were torn on the left knee. He slipped on a pair of black high top Converse, grabbed his backpack and walked downstairs, where Demyx was waiting for him.

“Grabbed a piece of toast with butter for you, good sir.” Demyx handed Roxas the toast. “We’re off, Mom!”

“Okay, see you this afternoon!” Yuna yelled from the living room.

Demyx and Roxas walked out the house and started their short walk to the high school.

“So…what’s Radiant Garden High School like?” Roxas inquired. “Any teachers I need to avoid?”

Demyx chuckled. “I would say most of the teachers are pretty okay…if there’s one I had to name, though, it would definitely be Mr. Levin. He’s the chemistry teacher for both standard and advance placement, and he is probably the most strict teacher on the face of this planet.”

Roxas cringed upon hearing that. Chemistry never was his subject; he couldn’t remember the last time he passed a chemistry test with anything higher than a C. “Perfect. A hard ass teacher for the one subject I can’t do if my life depended on it.”

“You’ll do fine…if it helps, I’m already on his shit list so most of his anger is directed towards me. Maybe he’ll have none left to direct towards you.”

Roxas and Demyx chatted about trivial things before they got to the school ahead of schedule. Which was good for Roxas, since he had no idea where any of his classes were…or what classes he was taking in the first place.

“Okay, I’ll take you to the office…you’ll get your schedule there. I will warn you though…because you’re transferring at the last minute, don’t expect any of your classes to be good…”

Roxas wasn’t really expecting anything good in the first place. But as long as he managed to make some new friends at this school, things should be fine. And if not, he always had Demyx and Sora here. Speaking of Sora, he wondered if his friend was at school already.

“Here’s the office.” Demyx pointed to a building that surrounded one side of the quad. He opened the door for Roxas to walk through. “Just tell them why you’re here and all that jazz.”

Roxas nodded and walked up to the reception desk, where a tall blonde woman with glasses was seated and typing something into her computer. She looked up when she noticed Roxas standing there. “May I help you?”

“Y-Yes, my name is Roxas Fair…I’m transferring here for the year from Twilight Town.”

“Ah, yes!” The woman stood up and began looking through a stack of papers on her desk. “We just got your forms this morning…it’s really short notice, but we managed to pull up what classes you took at your previous school and tried to make a schedule that would best suit you.” She handed Roxas a piece of paper that listed the classes he would be taking. “Mr. Adler, you’ll be showing Roxas around, I’m assuming?”

Demyx saluted the woman. “Yes, ma’am!”

The woman smiled. “I hope you enjoy yourself at Radiant Garden High, Mr. Fair.”

Roxas smiled and thanked the woman, before walking out of the office with Demyx.

“So what’s your schedule like?”

Roxas looked over his schedule, with Demyx peering over his shoulder.

“Ouch…you have Geometry 1st period. If I had math this early I’d die.” Demyx grimaced, but his eyes soon lit up. “Oh, but you have P.E and World History with me. That should be fun.”

Roxas would have been much happier if one class hadn’t caught his attention the moment he set his eyes on his schedule. Right there for 6th period, was AP Chemistry with Mr. Levin. That was his last period of the day, and he had to spend it suffering.

Demyx saw what he was staring at and gave him a soft pat on the back. “Rest in peace, man. Nice knowing you.” He smiled. “Oh, you have Chemistry with one of my friends, though. Lucky you, said friend is gifted in Chemistry. Mr. Levin would probably love him if it weren’t for his reputation as a troublemaker.”

Roxas raised an eyebrow. “Define _troublemaker_.”

“Let’s just say that he loves blowing shit up with fire.” Demyx made an exploding motion with his arms and hands. “With a side of smoking and other minor misdemeanors.”

Oh, great. Not only will he have the world’s worst teacher, he’ll also be in the same class as an insane pyromaniac. He’ll give the mystery person the benefit of the doubt for now, however, since he was Demyx’s friend.

“So here’s your classroom for 1st period—“ Demyx showed him the class that was in the building next to the office. At least his first class won’t be too hard to find without Demyx around should it come to that. “I have Drama first, so I’ll be in the theater which is that huge building next to the gym.” He pointed in the direction of the fields, and sure enough there was a large circular building with banners and posters all over the outside walls, most likely to advertise a musical or play the students participate in. “You think you can find the rest of your classes, or should I come to get you after 1st period?”

Roxas didn’t want to potentially make Demyx late for his other classes, so he declined the offer. “I think I’ll be good. The buildings are numbered so it shouldn’t be too hard finding everything. Thanks though.”

Demyx grinned. “Yeah no problem. Well I need to get going to a class I don’t care about. See ya in P.E!” And with that, Roxas was left alone in front of his 1st period classroom. He noticed he still had some time left before class started, but it couldn’t hurt to go inside and introduce himself to the teacher.

When he walked into the classroom, he saw whom he assumed to be the teacher writing some things on the whiteboard. The teacher looked relatively young, if the multitude of ear piercings were anything to go by. At the very least, he never saw a middle-aged person wearing that many piercings in a work setting before. “Um, excuse me.”

The man turned his head. “Yes?”

“I’m new to this school. My name is Roxas Fair—“ He handed the teacher his schedule. “I have your class for 1st period.”

The teacher glanced over the schedule and smiled. “Ah yes, I was notified about your arrival.” He put down the marker he was using and faced Roxas with a smirk. “I’m your Geometry teacher, Luxord Augustine. Feel free to call me Mr. Augustine, or even Luxord if you prefer. I detest formalities.”

Roxas noted that his new teacher had a pretty obvious accent and concluded that he wasn’t from around these parts. Probably Port Royal, if he had to guess.

“You’re a bit early, but here’s the syllabus for my class.” He handed Roxas a packet. “Please be aware that I don’t accept late work unless I receive a doctor’s note, and every Friday is a quiz day. They’re relatively easy, as they are mainly used to see whether or not you understand new material. I offer to give extra time after class to students who receive lower scores, or assign them a tutor if they would prefer that.”

Roxas was stunned to see a teacher so understanding. Back at his old high school in Twilight Town, he didn’t have a single teacher like this.

The bell rang signaling the start of 1st period, and Roxas, unsure of where to sit, opted to continue standing by Luxord’s desk. He watched as more and more students were filing into the classroom, sitting at the seats they had picked out for themselves. The room was chattering nonstop until the late bell rang and Luxord cleared his throat, causing everyone to stop talking and look in his direction.

“Class, we have a new student at this school. His name is Roxas Fair, and I trust that each of you will respect and get along with him.” Luxord turned to Roxas. “Why don’t you state a few things about yourself.”

Roxas really hated being put on the spot like this, but he supposed it was a customary thing for new students. “I’m Roxas…I’m uh…from Twilight Town, and I love video games and skateboarding.”

There were a few _ooooh_ ’s from the students, mainly from some girls sitting close to the front.

Luxord nodded in approval and assigned Roxas a seat towards the back, on the same side as the teacher’s desk. He was perfectly fine with sitting in the back seat, although unlike a lot of students who preferred it, he still opted to pay attention to what was being taught.

“So you’re from Twilight Town?”

The person sitting behind him spoke to him in a sort of bored-sounding tone. When Roxas glanced behind him to get a better look at who was talking, he saw a rather tall, slightly muscular person with long white hair with bangs that almost covered his eyes. “Yeah…?”

The other boy smirked. “Relax, I’m not trying to pick a fight. Name's Riku. Did your family decide to move to a bigger city?”

Roxas shrugged. “That’s partially true. It was just me that moved.”

Riku looked confused, but didn’t have a chance to say anything because Luxord started going over the material.

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The next few periods were a lot better than his first one. He found out that Sora was in his Health class, which basically cemented their partnership for the projects they would be having. P.E was by far the most fun, considering athletics were in his blood. Not only that, but he had class with Sora, Demyx, Sora’s friend Kairi, and Demyx’s friends Marluxia and Larxene. He also found out that Riku was a friend of Sora’s as well, so maybe it’d be easier to talk to him in Geometry. Kairi was a cheerful girl who preferred to sit on the sidelines for most of the activities being played, but when it came to volleyball and field hockey, no one could beat her. Marluxia’s eccentric attitude was hard for Roxas to get used to at first, but he soon found out that the pink-haired pretty boy just had a fondness for dramatics. Made even more sense after he was told that Marluxia was dead set on becoming a Theater major after graduating. Larxene, however, downright terrified Roxas. She had a glare that could kill on sight, and her attitude was just as deadly. But at the very least, he found out that she was naturally like that, even towards friends, and that she meant well. She even accepted Roxas as one of them, although it took a few _accidental_ volleyballs flying in his direction to do so.

And so came time for lunch. Sora had bid Roxas a short farewell as he went to join his own friends, but not before promising that they will definitely hang out more. Roxas on the other hand decided to walk with Demyx to buy lunch, and possibly meet the rest of the other’s friends. Thank god they had P.E before lunch so they could get in line and buy their food before everyone else.

“Well you already met Marluxia and Larxene, but you still have plenty of others to meet!” Demyx explained as they were walking out to the quad towards a bench under a huge tree. Roxas sat down next to Demyx and wondered why he suddenly felt so anxious, especially since he honestly didn’t give a crap whether or not Demyx’s friends would accept him. Especially since he somehow managed to get _Larxene_ to accept him; he figured if she could, there’s no way anyone else would deny him.

Not long after they sat down, another person joined the table, sitting right across from Demyx. “I see a new face is joining the table today.”

Demyx grinned. “This is Roxas, the one I told you about yesterday! He’s staying at my place for a year…think of it as a study abroad program I never officially signed up for.” He turned to Roxas. “Roxas, this is Zexion. He’s in the same year as you, and my best friend since forever. Seriously, we met when I was like…in first grade, and he was in kindergarten.”

Zexion rolled his eyes. “I’m sure Roxas doesn’t want to hear about our life story.” His one visible eye glanced at Roxas. “Nice to meet you. I apologize if Demyx is hard to handle. Unfortunately, it’s in his genes.”

“Awww come ON, Zex…don’t be like that!” Demyx feigned sadness. “You know you love me!”

“I know that you’re insufferable, does that count?” Zexion said this as he was rummaging through his backpack to grab a book. “Speaking of insufferable, I hope you have started on that English essay that’s due in a week.”

Demyx gawked. “You’re keeping track of my homework?!”

“Someone has to, since I know that _you_ won’t.” Zexion didn’t even look up from the book he began reading. “…Am I wrong?”

That caused Demyx to groan, and Roxas to try and suppress a laugh. Their relationship kind of reminded him of how he and Hayner would act when together.

“Damnit, I fucking hate Mr. Levin!”

Zexion, Demyx, and Roxas turned their heads to see Larxene, Marluxia, and an unfamiliar girl walking towards them. The voice belonged to Larxene, obviously.

“You’re just upset that he gave you detention in the second week of school because you were late to his class _again_.” Marluxia shrugged. “Sounds like you had what was coming to you.”

Larxene glared at him. “Excuse me, but I have better things to do than chemistry. I’m not even going into a science field when I graduate, so why should I give a fuck?!”

The unfamiliar girl beside Larxene, Roxas noticed, was cringing with every word that came out of Larxene’s mouth.

“U-Um…I know he’s a harsh teacher b-but he means well—“ The girl stammered, having trouble thinking of the right words to say as to not anger Larxene further.

Larxene rolled her eyes. “You’re his precious little princess, of course you’d have a higher opinion of him. Me on the other hand, I’m just a student that he enjoys terrorizing.”

The girl bit her lip and quietly sat down at the table on the other side of Demyx, while Larxene and Marluxia sat across from Roxas.

“And look what the cat dragged in.” Marluxia smiled at Roxas. “Good to see you’ll be joining us. Perhaps you would like to take part in the school play? It would look great on a college resume.”

Roxas chuckled in an awkward manner. “No thanks, I’m good.”

The unknown girl stared at Roxas from around Demyx, who was busy munching on his pizza slice. “Oh…hello! My name is Xion…sorry for not noticing you sooner…”

“Oh, no it’s fine.” Roxas reassured her. “But what’s this I heard about being a princess?”

Xion’s face turned a bright shade of red. “Oh, uh…”

Larxene scoffed. “I’m sure you’re aware of Mr. Levin, yeah? Xion is the devil’s spawn. A.K.A Mr. Levin’s daughter.”

Roxas wasn’t expecting that. From everything he’s heard about the chemistry teacher, it was hard to believe that someone as shy as Xion could be his daughter.

“P-Please don’t tell everyone…” Xion looked terrified. “I already get bullied because of it.”

“Must be the last name.” Larxene rolled her eyes. “Most people here aren’t stupid, you know. And besides, I told you that if you ever run into a jackass, just come to me and I can beat the shit out of them.”

Xion sighed. “You know I dislike conflict…”

“It’s your funeral.” Larxene then turned her attention to the rest of table, looking around as if she was expecting to see something. “…Where the fuck is Axel? Shouldn’t he be here by now?”

“I imagine he’s either in detention or got caught up with some blonde girl under the bleachers.” Zexion stated with a straight face, as if this came as no surprise.

As if on cue, a looming shadow appeared behind Roxas, causing him to turn around to face who it was. And all he could think about was _holy shit, this guy was TALL_.

“Speak of the Devil and he shall appear.” Demyx chimed in. “Where were ya, Ax?”

The man called Axel sat beside Roxas, but didn’t seem to notice the unfamiliar face. “Got a blowjob by some blonde chick under the bleachers.”

Marluxia raised an eyebrow, and Larxene rolled her eyes.

“…Seriously, dude?” Demyx on the other hand, looked at Axel with mild distaste.

Axel merely laughed. “No, you moron. I just overheard Zex saying something along those lines so I played along.” He rested his chin on his hand. “Probably wouldn’t be that hard convincing someone to do it though.”

Demyx sighed. “No wonder you have a reputation around here! And not a good one.”

“You’re just too afraid to get down and dirty, Mr. _Pure as Snow_.”

“Hey, I am NOT pure!” Demyx huffed. “I’ll have you know I drank some of my dad’s alcohol when he wasn’t home!”

“Whoaaaa, congrats, you have me beat.” Axel stated sarcastically, which angered Demyx further.

It wasn’t until Roxas decided to finally start eating when Axel noticed him. Which was even more funny since he’d been sitting next to Roxas throughout that entire conversation.

“Holy shit, didn’t even notice you.” Axel looked down at Roxas, then back at Demyx. “Who’s the shortie?”

Roxas’s temper flared. “This shortie’s name is Roxas, dumbass.”

Axel whistled. “Ain’t you a feisty one.”

“C’mon Axel, don’t be like that.” Demyx scolded. “Roxas is my friend. He’s staying with me for a while, which is why he’s attending this school.”

“Huh. No shit?” Axel’s attention went back to Roxas, looking at him like he was sizing him up. “So what’s your story, kid? Got no other friends here to bother?”

“Axel!” Demyx was getting angrier by the minute. Even Zexion was getting annoyed, which was more noticeable since his expressions have been stoic the entire time.

Roxas stood up from the table. “You must think you’re tough shit, aren’t you.” And then, all of a sudden, Axel found himself on the ground, having fallen from his seat with a very visible red mark on his cheek from where Roxas had punched him.

“What the fuck is your problem?!” Axel yelled, cringing at how much his cheek stung.

Roxas scoffed at him. “Not so high and mighty now, are you.” He then got out of his seat and looked at Demyx. “I’ll see you in History class. Sorry.” And he walked off before Demyx could say a word to him.

Demyx’s attention went straight to Axel. “Are you for real, dude?” Demyx looked downright livid, which was a rare sight.

Axel looked dumbfounded. “Excuse me, but I just got _punched in the face_ and you’re calling ME out?”

“To be fair, Your Royal Jackass, you were the one who started it.” Marluxia commented. “Not everyone welcomes your ruthless streak right from the start.”

“And I thought _I_ was tough on him.” Larxene stated in a bored manner. “But me trying to intentionally knock him out with a volleyball didn’t even get that much of a reaction compared to what happened with your sorry ass.”

Even Xion called him out on his actions. “I-I think you should apologize to him. Roxas seems like a nice person, and he didn’t deserve what you said to him.”

No one knew that to be true more than Demyx. After all, Demyx was the only one out of the friend group that actually knew about Roxas’s background and why he was staying with him in Radiant Garden in the first place. Roxas definitely didn’t deserve this unnecessary hate for seemingly no reason whatsoever. And that was probably why Demyx was angrier at Axel than probably the rest of them combined. His fists were downright shaking. But unfortunately, he also knew that he couldn’t say anything to the others, feeling it was disclosing private information that Roxas didn’t want anyone to know. And so, he reminded silent.

“I agree with Xion. You were definitely out of line this time, Axel.” Zexion eyed Axel with disappointment. “I heard he has chemistry with you. Fix this mess you made, or I’m no longer tutoring you in History.”

Axel rubbed his cheek and slowly got up from the ground. He sat down next to Xion, who still looked mad, but it was more of a sad anger. Man…he really messed up this time, huh? Axel knew enough to admit that. Guess he should apologize sooner than later.

Meanwhile, by the theater building…

“What the fuck is that guy’s problem?!” Roxas seethed. He was really tempted to kick a trash can, or something else that he could let out his anger on. He had done literally nothing but sit next to the guy, and then he decides to be an asshole? How could this jackass be friends with Demyx of all people?

Roxas was so beside himself with anger that he completely failed to notice that he had unintentionally walked right into someone.

“Hey, watch it!” The mystery person yelled and pushed Roxas back.

Roxas was pissed. “I already had to deal with one prick a few minutes ago, I don’t need another one—“

He stopped mid-sentence when he looked at the taller male standing in front of him. He wasn’t intimidated by the way this person dressed or the ear piercings, but he was definitely surprised to see that this person looked almost exactly like Sora! “…Sora….?”

The other male stared at Roxas for a moment, before laughing. “Hah, figures you’d know my little brother. I heard him talking about some friend who was gonna live out here. So guess you’re the one, huh?” He leaned down so his face was right in front of Roxas’s and smirked. “Name’s Vanitas, and guess what. I’m gonna be your worst nightmare.”

Roxas had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. And in that split second, he was thinking maybe it would have been better to stay and deal with Axel after all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!  
> I'm trying not to rush the whole relationship thing, so expect a slow development starting out. I'm just trying to flesh out the characters for now. Hope you enjoy!

Normally when a bully would say something so threatening, they were all bark and no bite. But this time was different. Roxas got a sudden chill in his spine that this Vanitas person was downright serious. And no matter how tough Roxas made himself look, it didn’t faze Vanitas in the slightest.

“Wow, you’re such a poser, you know that?” Vanitas laughed. “What, can’t handle a little taunting?”

It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle it; far from in, in fact. But while he was really tempted to kick the crap out of Vanitas, the fact that it was Sora’s brother is what was holding him back.

The next thing he knew, he was forcefully pushed against the side of the theater building, Vanitas’s nails digging into Roxas’s skin. “Don’t worry, you’ll learn soon enough why no one messes with me—“

“Van! Leave him alone!”

Both Vanitas and Roxas turned their heads to the source of the shouting to find Sora running towards them.

“Tch…look who’s here to save the day.” Vanitas released Roxas from his grip.

Sora ran over to see if Roxas was okay before glaring at his brother. “You can’t keep doing this, Van! Don’t you remember what the principal said?!”

Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I just don’t give a fuck.” He looked to the side with an almost pained expression. “I’m sure no one would care what happened to me, anyways.”

Sora’s eyes widened. “W-What? I care about you! Why else would I be yelling at you like this?!”

“You’re just doing this because our parents told you to keep an eye on me in case I screw up.” Vanitas retorted. “And since I’m basically being forced to pick you up, I will see you after school in the parking lot.” He gave one last sneer to Sora before walking off.

Roxas scratched the back of his neck. “Not sure if I was supposed to witness that…sounded kind of like a family matter.”

“…Yeah I guess you could say that.” Sora smiled sadly. “Van thinks that I’m the favorite sibling and our parents don’t care about him…and you know what, he’s kind of right…”

“What do you mean?” How could a parent choose one child over the other like that? Even with two other siblings, both of Roxas’s parents treated them all with equal amounts of love and care.

Sora sighed. “I don’t want to drag you into my family’s drama, but let’s just say that I’ve witnessed enough… _lectures_ between my dad and Van to know that what Van said is basically true. And I hate it…” Sora looked like he was going to cry. “I hate it so much. I looked up to my brother and I still do now. He never used to be this bully who breaks the law and gets in trouble; I know he’s just doing all this stuff because he wants our parents to acknowledge him.”

Roxas didn’t know what to say. All he could do was put his arm around Sora’s shoulders and pull him close. “No offense, but from what I’ve heard…your parents are kind of dicks.”

Smooth, Roxas. Real smooth.

That got a chuckle out of Sora though, so perhaps it was alright. “Yeah, no kidding. It’s my dad that’s the real problem; my mom is pretty nice and caring.”

“At least that’s something—“

The bell rang that signaled the end of lunch, which made Sora sigh.

“I have biology now…just perfect.”

“Hey, we’ll hang out more, okay? Hit me up if you want to hang out over the weekend.” Roxas smiled, which caused Sora to grin widely.

“Yeah, I’d like that. Thanks Roxas.” Sora gave him a tight hug, which caused Roxas to stiffen up since he wasn’t used to getting hugs from people that weren’t family. But it still felt nice, even if it was getting hard for him to breathe. After the hug, they both went off to their respective classes.

History class went by smoothly for the most part. Roxas and Demyx sat in the back of the classroom by the door, and they even met a new person named Namine. Apparently she had moved to Radiant Garden the previous year, so in a way she was new just like Roxas. Namine explained that she was originally from Hollow Bastion, but moved to Radiant Garden because her mom got a new job. Roxas liked how easy it was to talk to Namine, so now he had two people in history class to talk to.

And so came the class he’s been dreading since he first arrived at school: AP Chemistry with Mr. Levin. Even the atmosphere within the classroom was thick and nauseating. Sitting in his desk at the front of the class was who Roxas assumed was Mr. Levin. And while he was terrified of the man, he was also curious as to what kind of person Xion’s father was.

The man in question looked at Roxas with an irritated scowl before standing up. “You must be Roxas. I understand that you’re new to this school, but know that you won’t get any special treatment from me.” He crossed his arms. “If you’re late to my class, you will be sent straight to detention.”

Okay, now he could understand why Larxene hated this teacher so much. He was glad that he at least had the discretion to calm his temper around authority figures, otherwise things could have gone so much worse.

“As for seating arrangements…” Mr. Levin looked around the room for a moment. “You may sit wherever you like, but choose wisely. Whoever you’re sitting with will be your lab partner for the year.”

That only added more to the anxiety he was feeling. The rest of the students in the class filed in and sat at the seats they chose on the first day of school, and Roxas was left to pick between the leftovers—

“Yo, Roxas.”

Roxas turned his head to see Axel sitting in one of the middle lab desks.

“Wanna be lab buddies?” Axel played with a strand of hair that was drooping from that ridiculous mane. “I swear I won’t bite.”

Roxas shot him a suspicious glare, but what other options did he have? At least he knew who Axel was, and the only other empty seat was with some girl who seemed to be the perfectionist type. Sighing, he reluctantly sat next to Axel. “If you try to blow me up, I’m pressing charges.”

Axel smiled. “Don’t worry, my explosions are completely controlled.” His smile faltered. “So…uh…”

Roxas eyed him, which caused him to stammer. Was he trying to figure out what to say? Shocking.

“Look I’m not good at this whole…apologizing thing.” Axel rubbed his temple. “But, I’m sorry for what I said to you at lunch. That’s just the type of guy I am, and I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Good to know that you’re a jerk just for the hell of it.” Roxas leaned on his elbow. “But apology accepted, on _one_ condition.”

“Guess it depends what the condition is.” Axel braced himself.

Roxas rolled his eyes. “I heard that you’re a genius at chemistry. Good, because it’s my worst subject. Help me pass this class and consider yourself off the hook.”

Axel looked surprised. “…That’s it? Well fuck, man, I accept that condition to the moon and back.” He smirked. “The rumors you heard were correct, chemistry is child’s play for me.”

Once the late bell rang, Mr. Levin started class with teaching about chemical equations and how to reduce them to simplified forms. Roxas was completely lost and had no idea what to do, while Axel was already finished with the class assignment given out. Thankfully, Axel didn’t seem to mind explaining things to Roxas…though it didn’t make it any easier.

At that moment, the door to the classroom opened, causing everyone to look at who was brave enough to walk into the class thirty minutes late. And Roxas’s eyes widened with shock.

Mr. Levin on the other hand, looked annoyed as ever. “I see you chose to grace us with your presence, Mr. Valentine.”

Vanitas came waltzing in with a lollipop sticking out of his mouth. Probably to take the place of a cigarette, if Roxas had to guess. “Sorry I’m late, got called in to the office.”

“Normally I would be suspicious of excuses, but in your case, I actually believe it.” Mr. Levin scoffed. “But that’s not a get out of detention free card. You can spend an hour after class helping me clean up my classroom.”

Vanitas smiled. “Oh wow, Vexen, if you wanted to spend more time with me, you could have just asked.”

That caused the students to hold back a snicker here and there, and Mr. Levin’s face to turn red with anger.

“it’s _Mr. Levin_ to you, Vanitas. Keep up this charade of yours and you’ll be spending your detention on _Saturday_.”

“Yeah yeah, I get the picture.” Vanitas shrugged off the threat as if he’s heard it all before. Which he probably had, and then some.

And with that, Mr. Levin continued teaching the class, and Vanitas sat down at one of the lab desks in the left row, next to the girl that looked like a perfectionist. They looked to be friends, which actually piqued Roxas’s curiosity. They looked like polar opposites, but he supposed that opposites did attract.

Axel took that moment to eye Roxas’s assignment, and tried to hold back a laugh. “Wow, you weren’t kidding when you suck at chemistry.”

Roxas groaned. “I just don’t get this shit…why do I even need chemistry? Not like I’m gonna go into any field that requires science.” Which he wasn’t.

“Hey, you never know when you need to know this stuff. What if you accidentally get locked in an abandoned lab and have fifteen seconds to figure out a chemical equation or else the place will explode?”

Roxas stared at Axel with the most deadpanned expression he could muster. Only Axel could come up with something as ludicrous as that. “I’m pretty sure I’ll never go anywhere near a lab that would require me to do…whatever the fuck you just said.”

The ringing of the school bell meant that class was finally over, thank god. And while Axel got out of his seat to turn in both of their assignments, Roxas couldn’t help but eye Vanitas and that girl once more. Vanitas seemed to be explaining something to her, which caused him to get a lecture and his shoulders to slump. Whatever it was, it must have been bad.

“Well now that that’s settled, guess you’ll be heading home with Demyx?”

Roxas’s eyes went back to Axel, who was now standing in front of him with his backpack on one shoulder.

“Probably.” Roxas nodded. “At least, that’s what the original plan was. Have to meet up with him at the front of the school.”

Axel grinned. “Well, nice getting to know ya, Roxas. See you tomorrow at lunch.” And Roxas’s eyes followed Axel as he left the classroom.

Roxas was still cleaning up his lab area and putting away some worksheets in his bag when he felt a sharp jab to his side. He yelped out in shock and turned his head to see Vanitas staring at him.

“Didn’t think you’d be in this class too.” He smirked. “What, didn’t have enough from lunch?”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “Isn’t this a sophomore-junior level class? What’s a senior doing in it?”

“The same could be said for your fiery-haired friend.” Vanitas scoffed. “In fact, unlike me, he actually had to repeat his senior year. Or did he not tell you that?”

Roxas’s eyes widened. He had no right to judge, since he barely met Axel today, but it was still pretty surprising to know that Axel should have graduated high school already.

“Hah. Some friend he is.” Vanitas looked like he was about to say more, when that girl he was sitting next to stood next to him.

“If you’re done picking on the poor kid, I have practice to get to.” The girl eyed Roxas and while her expression was cold, there wasn’t any malice behind it. If anything, it looked like she was analyzing him.

“Guess that’s my cue to find that brother of mine.” Vanitas rolled his eyes. “Text you later today, Light.”

The girl gave a nod and walked out of the room, leaving Roxas alone with the man who could probably commit murder and get away with it. He hastily packed up his bag and tried to make a beeline for the door.

“Don’t think I’m done toying with you, Blondie.” Vanitas laughed. Roxas didn’t even look back when he bolted from the room. Sure, he was bullied at his old high school back in Twilight Town, but Seifer was _hardly_ frightening compared to Vanitas.

.

.

.

Both Roxas and Demyx made it back to the house in one piece, with Demyx complaining most of the way about how his English teacher gave them another essay on top of the one they already had.

“I swear, the universe it out to get me or something!” Demyx cried. “It’s like they KNOW I’m the laziest person on the face of this planet and are trying to get me to fail at life!”

Roxas could only chuckle at the antics he was witnessing, before something came back to his mind. Something that Vanitas had stated when they were still in Mr. Levin’s classroom.

“Hey, Demyx? Was Axel…held back or something?” Roxas hesitated to ask.

Demyx’s eyes widened. “Whoa, did Axel actually tell you that? He never likes talking about that, especially to a new face like you.”

Roxas shook his head. “Sora’s brother, Vanitas, is in the class too…he’s the one who told me.”

“…Oh, him.” Demyx rolled his eyes. “Honestly, how those two could be brothers is beyond me. But yeah, Axel was held back last year.”

“Can you tell me _why_?” Roxas pried. “I know it’s not my business, but…”

Demyx’s expression suddenly turned serious. “You’re gonna have to ask Axel about that, IF he’ll tell you anything. I’m not a snitch, dude.”

That ended up piquing Roxas’s curiosity even more. It must have been a pretty big reason for Demyx to react that way. But even he knew when to stop asking questions. “Sorry, just curious.”

“Nah, I get you. It’s just a touchy subject for Ax, so…try not to bring it up around him, okay?” Demyx smiled.

Roxas nodded and they both walked into the kitchen to find a note on the fridge.

Demyx eyed the note and groaned. “Looks like we’re ordering pizza or something tonight. The parentals are out on a date.”

Roxas chuckled. “At least they still find the time to spend with just each other.”

“It’s so sickening, though!” Demyx grimaced. “You didn’t have to witness them making lovey-dovey faces at each other at my birthday last year. In front of my friends, no less! Axel and Zex didn’t let me hear the end of it!”

“My parents used to be that way too…before…” Roxas smiled sadly.

Demyx eyed Roxas and chose to place his arm around Roxas’s shoulder and pull him in. “Let me tell you a story about my parents. They were high school sweethearts. My mom got pregnant with me right after she graduated high school, and had to delay going to college to take care of herself. My dad literally spent all his free time at her beck and call, and the rest of the time was spent working to make money to support her. Just between you and me, I’m pretty sure I was an accident.” Demyx said that so nonchalantly that it almost made Roxas laugh. “You can laugh if you want, I get it.” He grinned. “In fact, please laugh.”

Roxas let out a short chuckle, which caused Demyx to grin more. “Anyways, after having me, my parents chose to finally get married. I was the ring bearer at the wedding at only eight months old. They have the pictures to prove it. And sixteen years later, they keep talking about wanting another child and wanting to try, _right in front of me_. Believe me, you _do not_ want to be in the same room as your parents when they’re talking about something like that.”

Roxas couldn’t help but laugh more, which Demyx smiled at. “Feel better?”

“Yeah…thanks, Demyx.” Roxas realized that Demyx was trying to make him feel better, which honestly it did a little. He smiled as he looked at Demyx, which caused the other to blush and look away.

“Okay, enough of the sappy stuff. What did you want for dinner?” Demyx scratched the back of his head. “There’s pizza and Chinese food we can order…oh, there’s this really good Japanese place that does delivery. Parents left money so don’t worry about that.”

“Japanese food is fine with me. I actually haven’t had it in a while.” Since Ventus wasn’t a huge fan of raw fish, he always protested when going to any Japanese restaurant. Which sucked, since both Roxas and Cloud loved Japanese food.

Demyx nodded and picked up the phone to order. After deliberating on what to eat, Demyx settled on a pork cutlet bowl and Roxas got soba. Demyx also got an order of spicy tuna rolls for the both of them to share. They ended up eating in front of the television watching Beauty and the Beast when the front door opened to reveal that Yuna and Tidus had come back from their date.

“We’re home!” Yuna heard the TV and walked into the living room while Tidus walked into the kitchen. “Demyx, at least use the TV tray when eating in here!” Yuna stated in a disapproving tone.

“Sorry Mom. How was your date?” Demyx asked as if to get himself out of hot water from his mom.

Yuna smiled. “It was very nice. Your father took me to a fancy French restaurant. I tried escargot for the first time and I loved it.”

“The pigeon was good too!” Tidus yelled from the kitchen.

Demyx and Roxas made horrified expressions. “You ate PIGEON?!” They both yelled at the same time, which caused Yuna to laugh.

“Pigeon is a delicacy in France, I’ll have you know.”

“But we see pigeons around here all the time!” Demyx looked like he was going to be sick just thinking about eating a pigeon.

“Alright, you two finish your dinner. Don’t forget to clean up after yourselves.” Yuna smiled and headed upstairs.

Roxas sighed. “I really like this atmosphere…makes me wonder how Ven is doing…”

Demyx’s interest piqued. “That your bro?”

“Yeah, one of them anyway.” Roxas explained. “He’s had it rough since mom died, and dad told me that he still hasn’t forgiven me for upping at leaving him back at home.”

Demyx had a look of sympathy on his face as he listened.

“And my older brother probably went back to university by now, so it’s just my dad and Ven in that house.” Roxas had to admit that he’s been feeling a sense of guilt over this whole thing since he left for Radiant Garden. Sora told him that he wasn’t wrong for wanting to deal with it in his own way, since everyone grieves differently, but…did that mean that Ventus had to suffer more because of it?

“You know…you can always call your brother up and see how he’s doing. Or at least text him.” Demyx offered.

Roxas shook his head. “If there’s one thing I know about Ven, it’s that if he’s mad at someone, he’ll hold a grudge until he feels the time is right to let it go.” He’d probably have to wait until Ven contacted him himself before trying to reconcile.

After they both cleaned up their dinner trays, they continued watching Beauty and the Beast. Roxas had good memories of this movie, like when his mom held onto both he and Ventus while watching together, and Cloud sitting on his own reclining chair and pretending to be too old for Disney films but enjoyed it nonetheless. Beauty and the Beast had always been his mom’s favorite movie…and watching it for the first time since his mom died inadvertently brought a few tears to his eyes. Demyx noticed this of course, but chose not to comment and instead brought the box of tissues just a little closer to Roxas. Roxas said nothing as he took the box and wept quietly, with Demyx’s arm around his shoulder.


End file.
